Real time payment delivery to Centrelink customers 003-18092746

Customers requesting an urgent payment should be referred to smart centre telephony. If the customer is requesting a payment due to exceptional and unforeseen circumstances, they can use the IVR service or their Centrelink online account.

In some circumstances, it will be appropriate for the urgent payment request to be assessed at the service centre or by a processing team.

When considering real time delivery of a payment, remember:

• Real time payments cannot be issued if the customer's record is in the I (International) environment
• Urgent payments cannot be issued if the customer's payment type is an ineligible payment, see Urgent payment requests
• The customer must have already been approved for an urgent payment (the Service Officer must have already determined the customer is eligible for the urgent payment)
• Only emergency, crisis, anticipated release, immediate, and one-off Income Management payments in ISIS can be delivered through Priority Direct Credit
• Farm Household Allowance (FHA) payments and Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) payments cannot be delivered via NPP. See Real time payments to Farm Household Allowance (FHA) and Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS) customers

Before assessing or issuing a real time payment, make sure the customer record is the correct one by asking authentication questions to verify Proof of Record Ownership (PORO).

If the customer contacts in person, they must be authenticated at application. It is preferable the customer also provide at least one photo identity document for a manual-visual comparison. If this is not available and the Service Officer is in doubt they are speaking with the customer, they must ask more authentication questions.

Authentication questions must not be limited to details a customer's friends and relatives are aware of such as the customer's date of birth or how many children are in the family. The questions must be searching, but must not be so personal as to be intrusive.

If appropriate, it is important to explain to the customer why they are being asking these questions.

See Authenticating a Centrelink customer for a detailed process

Has the customer already been granted an immediate payment today and wants to change the amount of the payment?

• Yes, the customer is requesting a new payment. As the customer has already had an immediate payment granted, they cannot request another immediate payment on the same day. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 4

An account cannot be used for real time payment delivery if the customer has advised the payment destination account is closed or inaccessible to the customer.

If the customer advises the account is overdrawn, it is the customer's choice as to if the payment is made to the account.

The customer should be advised that:

• The financial institution may retain some or all of the overdrawn amount
• That it will take longer for the payment to be available as manual processing may be needed by the financial institution

For more information on overdrawn accounts, see Protection of customer payments

If the customer requests to change their payment destination details, this is to be coded before going any further. Additional care must be taken to ensure the payment destination is correct/legitimate - where any doubt exists relating to the legitimacy of the customer’s identity or payment destination, do not proceed with any changes.

Is the payment destination appropriate for real time payment delivery?

• Yes,
• For emergency payments, see Table 2
• For Crisis payments, see Table 3
• For all other payments, the Immediate Payment workflow should be used to issue the payment if it is available. Go to Step 5
• If the Immediate Payment workflow is not available, see Table 3
• No, the payment destination is not appropriate for real time delivery:
• Consider issuing the payment via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card
• Procedure ends here

Do not use the Immediate Payment workflow for Crisis Payments. (See Table 3 > Step 1, Manually Coding a real time payment).

The Immediate Payment workflow will pause on the Issue Future Payment (IFP) screen to allow insertion of the correct reason.

• Reason: for urgent payment and immediate payment grants use field help '?' to change the reason to:
• DEP - Centrelink/Departmental Delay
• ECI - Extraordinary Circumstances
• EXC - Exceptional and Unforeseen
• FNL - Funeral Expenses
• For any payment reason that falls outside of the above, choose the most appropriate reason from the list available in the field help. More details about the appropriate code reasons is available on the Resources page
• Payment method
• Staff can select from either direct credit or Priority Direct Credit
• Where Priority Direct Credit is selected, the system will first attempt delivery via new Payments Platform (NPP). If the payment fails to deliver via NPP, the system will automatically reissue via Same Day Direct Entry (SDDE)
• Note: when selecting Priority Direct Credit, confirm which payment method was successful before advising expected delivery timeframes

Once the reason code has been input, press [Enter], then select OK. The workflow will complete the activity and record a DOC including:

• Outcome and reason for the immediate payment request
• Documentation or verifiable evidence provided by the customer (where requested)
• Amount and method of payment. Note: urgent payments are limited to
• A minimum of $20
• $200 for an urgent payment due to exceptional and unforeseen extraordinary circumstances (this is early payment of fortnightly entitlement), and
• $1,000 for an urgent payment due to Centrelink delay
• Any other assistance offered or referrals made
• Note: a reference to SSAA 1999 Section 55 (payment into bank account etc.) can be included, but as payment delivery is not the significant decision, it is not compulsory
• Go to Step 6

Direct credit payments will be delivered to the customer's account the next business day for payments made in the Newstart system, or in 2 business days for other payments.

Priority Direct Credit payments will deliver via NPP wherever possible and should be available to the customer immediately regardless of the time or day of request.

While uncommon, NPP payments can be delayed up to 30 minutes due to system delays or additional processing checks by the receiving Financial Institution.

If the payment destination is not NPP reachable, or is reachable but the payment fails to deliver, it will automatically re-issue via SDDE.

• SDDE payments are delivered between 8:00 am - 4:00 pm (NSW and VIC time) weekdays only. SDDE is not available on national public holidays
• Payments made via SDDE after 3:50 pm (NSW and VIC time) will be issued the next business day

Check the Payment Summary (PS) screen to confirm delivery method.

Advise the customer:

• The expected delivery time based on the payment method displayed on the Payment Summary (PS) screen
• If the payment is delivering via SDDE and the customer cannot wait the expected timeframe, an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card should be considered. The customer must collect the EBT card from a service centre the same day, or a new immediate payment assessment would be required
• For an urgent payment from the customer's next entitlement, the amount issued will be deducted in full from the customer's next payday
• For an urgent payment due to Centrelink delay or error, the remaining amount will be issued to their financial institution. Advise the customer when and how much their next regular payment will be

Note: if the customer has not received the payment in their account within 30 minutes, and the payment shows as successfully delivered via NPP on the PS screen, it may have timed out from being delivered. In these instances, an automatic notification will have been sent to the ICT Service Desk, who will reissue the payment to the customer as soon as possible.

Is the payment delivering immediately via NPP, or can the customer wait projected SDDE timeframe?

• Yes, procedure ends here
• No,
• Consider issuing the payment by Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card
• Procedure ends here

See Current emergency management events for a list of emergency payments and further information on how to assess eligibility

Note: while there is no payment limit for emergency payments, payments made via priority direct credit (NPP and SDDE) are limited to a maximum of $3,000. Where the emergency payment exceeds this limit, only the first $3,000 will be delivered via Priority Direct Credit - the remaining balance will continue to deliver via Direct Credit.

Go to the FSP system (code 'SVAAA' in the Next field and ensure system is ISS)

If the payment is:

• Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) Disaster Recovery Allowance for New Zealand (NZ DRA), go to Step 2
• A one-off emergency payment (such as Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP)),
• The payment will have automatically issued via Priority Direct Credit.
• Check the Payment Summary (PS) screen to confirm the delivery method (NPP or SDDE)
• Procedure ends here

If a DRA claim has not yet been granted see Processing Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) claims in Process Direct

If an NZ DRA claim has not yet been granted see Processing New Zealand Disaster Recovery Allowance (NZ DRA) claims in Customer First. If not part of the specialist processing teams for NZ DRA claims contact Local Peer Support (LPS) for assistance.

After the DRA or NZ DRA has been granted, run the Issue Emergency Payment workflow accessed via Customer First - Workspace.

• Select the emergency payment
• Select Priority Direct Credit as the payment method
• Enter the amount to be issued a real time payment
• The payment will be reissued via PDC on completion of the workflow

If the Issue Emergency Payment workflow is not available, manually reissue the emergency payment via an immediate payment method:

• Go to the Payment Summary (PS) screen
• Key ‘R’ next to the emergency payment line and press [Enter]
• The Issue Payment Select (IPPRE) screen will display
• On the IPPRE screen:
• The system will automatically 'S'elect the most appropriate type of issue payment (such as, 'Early Payment from current Pay Period'), and the destination will default to direct credit
• New Payments Platform (NPP) should be the only PDC method available to select
• If the NPP service is unavailable, Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) will be available instead, although the actual payment method will be Same Day Direct Entry (SDDE)
• Update the Default Destination field to 'New Payments Platform (NPP)' or ‘Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)’ (as available)
• Select Continue
• The Issue Future Payment (IFP) screen will display
• The system will automatically 'S'elect the Immediate/Arrears Payment field
• The Default Destination field must be changed to the payment method needed
• Press [Enter]
• The IFP screen will display
• Complete the following fields:
• Issue Amt: - this will be the amount of the payment
• Reason: - DEP (Departmental Delay)
• Notes: - (why payment is being issued)
• Source: - (method the customer has used to contact)
• DOR: - (Date of Receipt)
• Finished (Y/Q/N):

If the payment fails to deliver via NPP, or the account is not NPP reachable, it will automatically issue via SDDE. Check the Payment Summary (PS) screen to confirm the method of delivery.

Procedure ends here.

When a Crisis Payment (CrP) has been granted or the Immediate Payment workflow is not available.

Make sure payments are only made for eligible payments (for example, Urgent Payments should not be paid for Family Tax Benefit (FTB)) and that the payment is processed in the correct system.

CrP claims selected for QMA must be checked before undertaking the following steps. (Noting the QMO will need to complete the additional steps to issue the payment via NPP).

• Go to the Payment Summary (PS) screen in Customer First
• Key ‘R' next to the relevant payment and press [Enter]
• The Issue Payment Select (IPPRE) screen will display
• On the IPPRE screen:
• the system will automatically 'S'elect the most appropriate type of issue payment (such as, 'Early Payment from current Pay Period') and the destination will default to direct credit
• New Payments Platform (NPP) should be the only PDC method available to select
• If the NPP service is unavailable, Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) will be available instead, although the actual payment method will be Same Day Direct Entry (SDDE)
• Update the Default Destination field to 'New Payments Platform (NPP)' or ‘Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)’ (as available)
• Select Continue
• The Issue Future Payment (IFP) screen will display
• For Crisis Payment, go to Step 2
• If the Immediate Payment workflow is unavailable, go to Step 3

Code the following fields on the Issue future Payment (IFP) screen:

• Issue amount: add the full amount of the payment to be delivered
• Reason: for Crisis Payment grants use field help '?' to change the reason to:
• CRI - Crisis Payment
• Finished (Y/Q/N): 'Y'
• Notes: the reason for issue, for example, 'pay Crisis Payment via NPP'
• Source: and DOR: fields

This will create a zero amount in the original Crisis Payment entry on the PS screen, as well as a new 'NPP' or ‘Real Time’ line (depending on the successful delivery method) of the full amount to be delivered immediately via PDC.

Note: when a payment is issued via PDC, a DOC will be generated including the 'reason for issue' entered on the IFP screen. As granting the Crisis Payment is the significant decision, not the method in which the payment is delivered, this DOC is sufficient.

A reference to SSAA 1999 Section 55 (payment into bank account etc.) can be included, but it is not compulsory.

Procedure ends here.

For an urgent payment, code the following fields on the IFP screen:

• Issue amount: the amount of the payment to be delivered
• Reason: for urgent payment grants use field help '?' to change the reason to:
• DEP - Departmental Delay
• ECI - Extraordinary Circumstances
• EXC - Exceptional and Unforeseen
• FNL - Funeral Expenses
• For any payment reason that falls outside of the above, choose the most appropriate reason from the list available in the field help. More details about the appropriate code reasons is available on the Resources page
• Finished (Y/Q/N): 'Y'
• Notes: the reason for issue
• Source: and DOR: fields

Select Continue to complete the activity.

Record details of immediate payment on a DOC.

Include the following DOC text if it is not automatically generated:

• To be paid Urgent payment of $ {amount}
• Method of payment: {payment method}
• The customer is in financial hardship as a result of an (urgent payment reason)
• Alternative assistance to alleviate this hardship was deemed unsuitable and an Urgent Payment has been approved, as per 8.4.2.10 of the Guide to the Social Security Act and Section 55 of the Social Security Administration Act

Procedure ends here.

Has the payment been processed and issued to the account on the customer's record?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, process the activity that will issue the payment (for example, this may be a reporting activity, restoration from suspension or cancellation). Procedure ends here

When ‘Priority Direct Credit’ is selected, the system will first attempt to deliver via NPP. If an account is not NPP reachable, or is reachable but the payment fails to deliver, it will automatically re-issue via SDDE.

Each delivery attempt will appear as a separate line on the Payment Summary (PS) screen. Failed attempts will display ‘RTN’ (returned) or ‘Rejected’ where applicable.

While NPP payments are generally immediately available in the customer’s account, it can take up to 30 minutes to be available in some cases.

SDDE payments are processed and delivered by the Reserve Bank of Australia at set times throughout the day and can take a few hours to be available in the customer’s account. Payments made outside of SDDE operating hours will deliver the next business day. See Priority Direct Credit (PDC) frequently asked questions in Immediate methods of payment for more information.

Where the payment has been issued, and shows as:

• Successfully delivered. Discuss processing times with the customer
• If the payment should have been received, or the customer cannot wait for SDDE see Replacing direct credit, NPP or RTGS payments at a customer's request
• Procedure ends here
• Returned, see Replacing direct credit, NPP or RTGS payments at a customer's request. Procedure ends here
• Rejected, go to Step 3

The system will not allow a reissue of a payment unless a change of payment destination is completed.

Run the Change Payment Destination workflow, correcting any errors.

If the customer advises that their payment destination has not changed and is still correct:

• confirm with the customer that the account is still open, and
• they still have access to the account
• Update the account title by adding a full stop after the name. For example, 'Mr Customer.'
• Repeat the process by running the Change Payment Destination workflow again, deleting the full stop after the name. For example, 'Mr Customer '

Go to Step 4.

A rejected PDC payment must first be reissued via Direct Credit, and then if the customer needs the funds urgently, the payment can be reissued via PDC or EBT card as appropriate.

If EBT Card is the most appropriate method, see Real time payment by payment method Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card

To reissue the payment via Direct Credit:

Before attempting to reissue the payment, make sure the correct payment system is selected (for example, Age Pension payments can only be reissued in the PEN system)

For payments in the ISS system, the correct subsystem must also be selected. For details on how to access the ISS subsystem, see Customer First navigation, common screens and functions

• Access the PS screen
• Key 'R' next to the rejected payment and press [Enter]
• The Issue Payment Select (IPPRE) screen will display

On the IPPRE screen:

• The system will automatically 'S'elect the Re-deliver Rejected Payment: field
• The Default Destination: field will be Direct Credit
• Press [Enter]
• The Re-Deliver Returned Payment (RDRP) screen will display

On the RDRP screen code the following:

• Using the next and back buttons, locate the page that has the Reissue All field
• Key 'Y' in the Reissue All (Y/N): field
• Finish the activity

Payment will now display on the PS screen as Immediate and will be paid by direct credit.

To issue the payment via PDC:

• Access the PS screen
• Select the payment that shows as Immediate in the Delivery Date field, by keying 'R' next to the payment line and press [Enter]
• The IPPRE screen will display

On the IPPRE screen:

• The system will automatically 'S'elect the Immediate/Arrears Payment: field
• The Default Destination: field must be changed to either NPP or RTGS (whichever is selectable)
• Press [Enter]
• The Issue Future Payment (IFP) screen will display
• Complete the following fields
• Issue Amt: - this will be the amount of the payment
• Reason: - REJ
• Notes: - (why payment is being issued)
• Source: - (method the customer has used to contact)
• DOR: - (Date of Receipt)
• Finished (Y/Q/N):

DOC the record to advising payment has been reissued.